Analysis of the dysfunctional eustachian tube by video endoscopy.

OBJECTIVE: Human eustachian tubes with known pathologic conditions of the ear were inspected endoscopically, and video recordings were made for slow-motion analysis of the pathophysiologic changes. SETTING: Ambulatory office in a tertiary referral center. SUBJECTS: Forty-four adults with 64 ears having pathologic conditions. INTERVENTIONS: Transnasal endoscopic examination of the nasopharyngeal opening of the eustachian tube during rest, swallowing, and yawning to study the dilatory movements of the eustachian tube. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Slow-motion video analysis of the dilatory movements of the eustachian tube. RESULTS: Sixty-four ears and eustachian tubes with pathologic changes were studied. Tubal function was graded on (1) the extent of lateral excursion and progression of dilatory wave as estimates of tensor veli palatini and dilator tube muscle function, reduced function being observed in 43 tubes; (2) the degree of mucosal disease, which was significant in 48 tubes; (3) obstructive mucosal changes, which were present in 15 tubes; (4) ease and frequency of tubal dilation with maneuvers-26 tubes opened moderately, 21 opened minimally, and 11 were unable to open; and (5) patulous tubes-all 6 clinically patulous tubes showed concavities in the superior third of the tube, which is convex in normal subjects. All tubes with active pathologic conditions of the ear (otitis media with effusion, tympanic membrane retraction, draining ear, cholesteatoma) had significant abnormalities. A correlation could not be made between the severity of middle ear disease and the severity of observed eustachian tube dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: Slow-motion endoscopic video analysis is a potentially useful technique in classifying types of pathologic changes in the eustachian tube. Additional studies of dysfunctional tubes are needed to predict outcomes in operative ear cases and to design intratubal therapy for chronically dysfunctional tubes.

Etanercept therapy for immune-mediated cochleovestibular disorders: preliminary results in a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Immune-mediated cochleovestibular disorders (IMCVDs) continue to present a management challenge to the otolaryngologist. Antirheumatic agents, commonly used for IMCVDs, are associated with variable efficacy and sometimes with serious side effects. The authors describe the preliminary result of their experience in patients with IMCVDs who have been treated with etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor blocker, recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS: Twelve patients suspected of having IMCVD who did not respond to conventional therapies or experienced side effects of the conventional therapies. INTERVENTION: Etanercept 25 mg by subcutaneous injection twice per week. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measurement was assessment of hearing change by air conduction pure tone audiograms and/or word discrimination. When present, vertigo, tinnitus, and aural fullness were assessed as well. RESULTS: Follow-up of more than 5 months was available for all patients (range, 5-12 months). Eleven (92%) of 12 patients had improvement or stabilization of hearing and tinnitus, seven (88%) of eight patients who had vertigo and eight (89%) of nine patients who had aural fullness had resolution or significant improvement of their symptoms. The benefit persisted until the last visit (5-12 months after etanercept was begun). The condition of one patient improved dramatically at first but deteriorated after 5 months. The patient's hearing was rescued and stabilized with the addition of leflunomide to etanercept. Similarly, three other patients required a second antirheumatic agent to stabilize their hearing. There were no significant side effects from the etanercept therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our limited data suggest that etanercept therapy is safe and may be efficacious in carefully selected patients with IMCVDs, at least on a short-term basis. These preliminary efficacy and safety results appear encouraging enough to warrant further follow-up and studies for better determination of the potential clinical utility of etanercept for IMCVDs.

Experimental CO2 laser myringotomy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare closure rates of CO2 laser myringotomies with those produced conventionally with a knife. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We investigated closure rates in 3 experimental groups of chinchillas: (1) semicircular myringotomy in both ears either produced with a knife or CO2 laser; (2) CO2 laser myringotomy, round in one ear and kidney shaped in the other; (3) CO2 laser myringotomy, incisional in one ear and kidney shaped in the other. RESULTS: Patency of knife myringotomies was shorter (P < 0.01) than of similar laser myringotomies, means 10.0 and 21.8 days, respectively. The patency of kidney-shaped laser myringotomies was longer (P < 0.05) than of round ones. Incisional laser myringotomies remained open longer (P < 0.01) than round ones. CONCLUSION: Use of CO2 laser as well as certain geometries delay the closure of myringotomies. By allowing perforations of different shapes and sizes, CO2 laser myringotomy may become an alternative in the treatment of otitis media.

Autoimmune vestibulo-cochlear disorders.

Autoimmune vestibulo-cochlear disorders (AVCD) represent a group of syndromes with overlapping clinical features, manifesting as sensorineural hearing loss, often associated with vertigo, tinnitus, and aural fullness, and believed to be caused by an autoimmune mechanism. Although definitive evidence of a classic "autoimmune process" is still lacking, substantial indirect evidence has accumulated to strongly indicate such a pathogenesis. Rapidly progressing AVCD is analogous to rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis in that inner ear inflammation progresses to severe, irreversible damage within 3 months of onset (and often much more quickly). Thus patients with rapidly progressive AVCD are treated with a sense of urgency. Prompt treatment with corticosteroids and other antirheumatic/immunosuppressive agents can preserve hearing and vestibular functions. We are not aware of any randomized controlled clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of antirheumatic/immunosuppressive agents in AVCD. In this article we review reports of various therapies that have been tried in this condition and our experience of etanercept therapy in AVCD.

Persistent stapedial artery: CT findings.

CT of a patient with conductive hearing loss showed a small vascular structure leaving the carotid canal and passing through the stapes to join the facial nerve canal. The small bony channel paralleled the anterior tympanic segment of the facial nerve, continuing beyond the geniculate ganglion into the middle cranial fossa. Otoendoscopic photography documented the presence of a persistent stapedial artery.

Analysis of eustachian tube function by video endoscopy.

OBJECTIVE: Human eustachian tubes (ET) were inspected in vivo endoscopically, and video recordings were made for careful slow-motion analysis of normal physiologic function. SETTING: Ambulatory office in a tertiary referral center. SUBJECTS: Thirty-four adults, 17 with no history of ET dysfunction (2 of whom had tympanic membrane perforations), 17 with known ET dysfunction. INTERVENTIONS: Transnasal endoscopic examination of the nasopharyngeal opening of the eustachian tube during rest, swallowing, and yawning. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Video analysis of ET opening movements. RESULTS: Normal ETs had four consistent sequential movements: (1) palatal elevation causing passive, then active, rotation of the medial cartilaginous lamina; (2) lateral excursion of the lateral pharyngeal wall; (3) dilation of the lumen, caused primarily by tensor veli palatini muscle movement beginning distally and inferiorly, then opening proximally and superiorly; and (4) opening of the tubal valve at the isthmus caused by dilator tubae muscle contraction. Dysfunctional ETs had intraluminal edema, polyps, or minimal muscle movement. CONCLUSIONS: Slow-motion endoscopic video analysis may be a useful new technique for the study of eustachian tube physiology. Consistent muscle movement patterns were demonstrated in normal subjects but were absent in abnormal subjects. More studies of normal and abnormal patterns are needed to establish useful clinical correlates.

Laser-assisted endoscopic stapedectomy: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To improve the techniques required to perform a stapedotomy without prosthesis (stapedioplasty). STUDY DESIGN: New infrared lasers were evaluated for potential use in otological surgery in guinea pigs. A prospective human trial of 34 primary stapes operations using the Argon ion laser was performed, with 11 stapedioplasties and 23 conventional stapedotomies as controls. METHODS: Laser-tissue interactions were evaluated for temporal bone and live guinea pig tissues, measuring crater histology and labyrinthine temperature elevations. Patients undergoing stapedioplasty had Argon ion laser cuts with endoscopic assistance made in the anterior crus and footplate to mobilize the posterior segment of the stapes while the anterior portion remained fixed. RESULTS: Diode laser (808-nm) vaporization craters and temperature elevations in the vestibule were suitable for clinical use. Overall, stapedioplasty patients' hearing was improved with air-bone gap closure to a mean of 8.3 dB (SD +/- 9.8 dB). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with anterior footplate otosclerosis are candidates for stapedioplasty preserving the annular ring and stapes tendon and eliminating prosthesis complications. High-resolution small endoscopes, coupled with Argon ion or diode lasers promise to improve stapes visualization, enhancing the ability to perform minimally invasive surgery on the stapes footplate.

Adjunctive use of endoscopy during acoustic neuroma surgery.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: In specific clinical situations, endoscopes offer better visualization than the microscope during acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma) surgery and can therefore decrease the incidence of the postoperative complications of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage and recurrence of tumor. This study was undertaken to determine if the use of adjunctive endoscopy provides complementary information to the operating surgeon during surgery for acoustic neuromas. METHOD: Seventy-eight patients with acoustic neuromas underwent tumor excision by two neurotologists (PAW., D.S.P.), together with their respective neurosurgical partners, via a retrosigmoid (suboccipital) approach (n = 68), translabyrinthine approach (n = 7), or middle cranial fossa approach (n = 3). Endoscopy with a rigid glass lens endoscope was used during tumor removal to examine posterior fossa neurovascular structures, and after tumor excision to inspect the internal auditory canal (IAC), inner ear, and middle ear, depending on the approach used. One of the authors (D.S.P.) has not used adjunctive endoscopy during resections via the translabyrinthine and middle cranial fossa approaches, and therefore, these cases were excluded from the data collection and analysis. RESULTS: Complete tumor excision was achieved in 73 patients. Endoscopy allowed improved identification of tumor and adjacent neurovascular relationships in all cases. In addition, residual tumor at the fundus of the IAC (n = 11) and exposed air cells (n = 24) not seen with the microscope during retrosigmoid approaches were identified endoscopically. In one of the translabyrinthine cases, the endoscope allowed identification of open air cells not visualized with the microscope. None of the 78 patients developed CSF rhinorrhea. Incorporating the endoscope did not significantly increase operative time. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopy can be performed safely during surgery to remove acoustic neuromas. The adjunctive use of endoscopy may offer some advantages including improved visualization, more complete tumor removal, and a lowered risk of CSF leakage.

Endoscope-assisted vestibular neurectomy.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: In some instances endoscopes offer better visualization than the microscope and frequently allow less invasive surgery. This study was undertaken to determine whether endoscopy is safe and effective during neurectomy of the vestibular nerve. METHOD: Ten patients with intractable unilateral Meniere's disease underwent a retrosigmoid craniotomy for neurectomy of the vestibular nerve. Endoscopy with a Hopkins telescope was used during each procedure to study posterior fossa anatomic relationships and to assist the neurectomy. Preoperative and postoperative audiometric evaluation was performed in all patients undergoing vestibular neurectomy. Nine of these patients had preoperative electronystagmography, and four patients completed postoperative electronystagmography. The 1995 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery's Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium guidelines for the diagnosis and evaluation of therapy in Meniere's disease were used. RESULTS: Complete neurectomy was achieved in all 10 patients. Endoscopy allowed improved identification of the nervus intermedius and the facial, cochlear, and vestibular nerves and adjacent neurovascular relationships without the need for significant retraction of the cerebellum or brainstem. In addition, endoscopic identification of the cleavage plane between the cochlear and vestibular nerves medial to or within the internal auditory canal (n = 3) was not made with the 0-degree endoscope; however, identification was made with the 30- or 70-degree endoscope in all cases. In all patients with Meniere's disease, elimination of the recurrent episodes of vertigo (n = 10) or otolithic crisis of Tumarkin (n = 1) was achieved. CONCLUSIONS: Posterior fossa endoscopy can be performed safely. Endoscope-assisted neurectomy of the vestibular nerve may offer some advantages over standard microsurgery including increased visualization, more complete neurectomy, minimal cerebellar retraction, and a lowered risk of cerebrospinal fluid leakage.

Intratympanic gentamicin injection for the treatment of Meniere's disease.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of intratympanic injection of gentamicin as a nonsurgical treatment option in the treatment of patients with unilateral Meniere's disease who are refractory to medical treatment. STUDY DESIGN: The study design was a prospective case series. SETTING: The study was conducted at a physician's office setting in a tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS: The results of 37 patients who became eligible for reporting according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) guidelines for reporting treatment results of Meniere's disease were reviewed. INTERVENTION: Intratympanic injections of a prepared gentamicin concentration of approximately 30 mg/ml were given weekly until the patient reported cessation of vertigo attacks. Patients reclined for 45 minutes after each injection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The 1995 AAO-HNS guidelines were used in this report, and measures included pure-tone hearing results, word recognition scores, vertigo control scores, and ice-water calories after a minimum of 24 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Vertigo control was achieved in 32 patients (87%). Fifteen patients (41%) had complete recovery from vertigo spells, 17 patients (46%) had substantial recovery, and 5 patients (14%) had treatment failure requiring additional surgery to control vertigo. Hearing results showed that 21 patients (72%) had unchanged or better hearing, 10 patients (28%) had an average threshold shift of 10-25 dB, 4 patients (11%) had a threshold shift between 16 and 25 dB, 1 patient (3%) had a threshold shift between 26 and 40 dB, and 1 patient (3%) had a threshold shift of > 40 dB. CONCLUSIONS: The authors found intratympanic gentamicin to be a useful alternative to surgery. The flexible treatment protocol allowed for better hearing monitoring compared to the more frequent injection schedules of other studies and yielded a lower rate of severe hearing loss. It had a higher failure rate for vertigo control and a greater amount of hearing loss than the author's experience with vestibular nerve section.

Endoscope-assisted second-stage tympanomastoidectomy.

Intact canal wall mastoidectomy techniques for cholesteatoma are often followed by a planned second look for residual disease and possible ossicular reconstruction. Endoscopic techniques may reduce morbidity but introduce new concerns. Twenty-five consecutive second-look procedures were performed from July 1994 to July 1996 utilizing endoscopes in 19 cases and avoiding or terminating their use in the others because of known difficult anatomy, inadequate exposure, or excessive bleeding. Thirteen cases were prospectively explored first through a planned exclusively endoscopic approach and then opened for a conventional second look in comparison. In one of the 13 cases, endoscopy was abandoned. There were no cases in which endoscopy yielded a false-negative result. Endoscopes underestimated the size of recurrence in one case. Our experience, indications, and precautions for endoscope-assisted second-stage tympanomastoidectomy are presented.

Endoscopically assisted prevention of cerebrospinal fluid leak in suboccipital acoustic neuroma surgery.

HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this prospective study was to determine if direct inspection of air cells using endoscopy could reduce the occurrence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak in suboccipital acoustic neuroma surgery. BACKGROUND: Cerebrospinal fluid leak remains one of the most common complications after acoustic neuroma surgery. The suboccipital approach for excision of acoustic neuromas has been used increasingly since gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging has improved the ability to diagnose smaller tumors. Suboccipital approaches are reported to have CSF leak rates of as high as 27% with an average rate of 12%, most presenting as rhinorrhea. Ideally, this complication could be avoided by careful closure of all air cells exposed during the approach, especially those commonly found in the posterior wall of the internal auditory canal and in the retrosigmoid area. Packing these cells with a variety of materials has been done but often indirectly, as visualization of all cells by the conventional operating microscopes may not be possible. Failure to recognize patent cells because of limited visualization may be an important cause of postoperative CSF leak. METHODS: This study compared CSF rhinorrhea rates of 38 consecutive suboccipital acoustic neuroma operations, in which conventional techniques were used to pack the temporal bone defect around the internal auditory canal, with the succeeding 24 consecutive operations, in which endoscopes were used to visualize all exposed air cells directly. After locating all patent air cells endoscopically, they were specifically sealed with bone wax, and then a small fat graft harvested from the wound margin was used to fill the remaining defect. RESULTS: Postoperative CSF rhinorrhea occurred in 7 of 38 (18.4%) operations in which no endoscopic technique was used and in 0 of 24 operations in which endoscopes were used. CONCLUSIONS: The use of endoscopes to visualize the temporal bone air cells that cannot be directly observed otherwise appears to reduce the incidence of postoperative CSF leak in suboccipital acoustic neuroma surgery.

Erbium laser in middle ear surgery: in vitro and in vivo animal study.

Cadaveric human temporal bones, cadaveric rabbits, and live rats were used to demonstrate the utility and safety of the erbium:yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet (Er:YSGG) laser for otologic applications. The shallow penetration in water of this wave-length and its ability to ablate bony tissue with minimal collateral thermal effects spare underlying and adjacent structures and make it appealing for stapedotomy. The authors were able to satisfactorily perform small fenestra stapedotomy, atticotomy facial nerve decompression, and mastoidectomy. Temperature measurements from the round window area during Er:YSGG stapedotomy recorded an elevation of less than 2 degrees C, which is well within acceptable limits. An acoustic shock produced at the impact site is the major disadvantage and requires further in vivo investigation of the transient and sustained deleterious effects away from the application site. This work supports further investigation into potential applications of the Er:YSGG laser in otology.

Endoscope-assisted ear surgery.

Endoscopes deliver the otologic surgeon's view into the temporal bone to provide rapid access to its intricate recesses. The attic, sinus tympani, facial recess, hypotympanum, internal auditory canal, and other recesses are immediately visualized with angled endoscopes, using minimal exposure without the time-consuming removal of overlying bone. This report presents results of 32 otologic and neurotologic operations, performed since 1993, that incorporated endoscope-guided dissection as a principal part of the procedure to reduce incision size, exposure width, and operative time, or to access areas otherwise inaccessible. Included are endoscopic excision of acquired cholesteatoma without mastoidectomy, second-look mastoid procedures, mastoidectomy for biopsy (performed entirely endoscopically), and acoustic neuroma dissection from the lateral internal auditory canal. Endoscopic ear surgery is a valuable adjunct to conventional surgical techniques that require wider exposures and are limited to the direct line of sight.

Comparison of endoscopic and surgical explorations for perilymphatic fistulas.

A history suggestive of perilymphatic fistula (PLF) often prompts repeated tympanostomies to establish a diagnosis and perform a repair. Two patients having multiple previous explorations for perilymphatic fistulas were reoperated, comparing endoscopic and open surgical methods. A third patient with a history consistent with PLF also underwent dual assessment. Endoscopic exploration of the middle ear was performed through a myringotomy and, immediately after, by elevation of a tympanotomy flap. The endoscopic examinations were thorough yet revealed no evidence of perilymphatic fistula; however, the surgical approaches revealed pooling in the oval windows consistent with perilymphatic fistula. These findings were video documented. Recurrent and primary fistulas may be the result of artifact, such as injected anesthetic agents and transudates introduced during surgical explorations, which may interfere with an accurate diagnosis of perilymphatic fistula. Endoscopy of the middle ear is recommended as one method to minimize errors in diagnosis.

Cartilage tympanoplasty for management of retraction pockets and cholesteatomas.

Retraction pockets of the tympanic membrane, often associated with dysfunction of the eustachian tube, can be destructive, leading to loss of hearing, ossicular erosion, and development of cholesteatomas. This retrospective study reviews results from 35 patients (38 ears) operated on from January 1988 to June 1991 whose composite cartilage-perichondrial grafts harvested from the tragus were used to reconstruct the tympanic membrane. Early grafts reinforcing the posterosuperior quadrant of the pars tensa showed some failures, with recurrent retraction in the attic. In later grafts, additional placing of cartilage under the pars flaccida prevented failures in the attic. Our indications, initial technique and refinements to the present form, and hearing results are discussed.

Translabyrinthine drillout from suboccipital approach to acoustic neuroma.

The suboccipital approach to acoustic neuroma surgery is used when preservation of hearing is desired or when the surgeon prefers the approach even when hearing cannot be saved. its major disadvantages are poor exposure of the lateral internal auditory canal and lack of precise bony landmarks to identify the facial nerve. When hopes for preservation of hearing are abandoned and complete removal of tumor is considered paramount, a wider drillout of the posterior temporal bone may be accomplished through the suboccipital approach. The posterior semicircular canal may be opened and followed into the vestibule. A translabyrinthine exposure of the vertical crest and full length of the internal auditory canal is readily obtained. Translabyrinthine drillout procedures were performed in 14 patients, and the technique was expedient and yielded excellent exposure. An abdominal fat graft was not required, and only one instance of leakage of cerebrospinal fluid occurred. Translabyrinthine drillout from the suboccipital approach is a useful adjunct when sacrifice of hearing is indicated.